PETALING JAYA: Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) urged the public and p-hailing companies to play their roles in keeping roads safe and not blame food delivery riders as a major cause of accidents.
Based on police statistics between January and August last year, there were a total of 321 accidents involving p-hailing riders nationwide, with 36 fatalities.
Miros president Dr Wong Shaw Voon said a p-hailing job not only requires riders to use motorcycles to deliver their goods, but also read maps of areas they travel to.
Wong said motorcycles generally are not designed to travel far and fast while helmets can only provide limited protection.
“The speed limit for protecting riders is 30kmh but if they travel faster, the impact during accidents can result in serious injuries.”
He said efforts to make roads safer require the cooperation of all stakeholders.
“Consumers should complain to p-hailing companies and the authorities if they notice riders being reckless on the road.”
Companies should provide riders with training, and performance reviews should be conducted to determine the number of traffic violations they make and if necessary, impose a suspension of duties, he said.
He said p-hailing companies should provide alternative routes to riders when there are road hazards reported on certain roads.
“If riders strictly follow safety guidelines, and consumers provide positive feedback, it will encourage riders to obey traffic rules.”
Wong was appointed chairman of Miros in February, succeeding Datuk Suret Singh.